Tag: FIFA

FIFA bans Al-Nassr from registering new players over Ahmed Musa deal

Saudi Arabia club, Al-Nassr have been hit with a FIFA ban preventing them from registering new players. The Saudi Arabian team, which has won the Kingdom’s league title nine times, made headlines when they signed the former Manchester United forward, Cristiano Ronaldo last season. Ronaldo’s high-profile move to the Gulf state has attracted other stars to the region.

Cristiano Ronaldo at a match for Al-Nassr. Source: Getty Al-Nassr have continued their spending spree this summer by acquiring Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic from Inter Milan. There have also been rumours linking Italy international Domenico Berardi and Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech to the club. It has however come at a cost, as they’ve now been banned from registering new players by FIFA. The Sun reported that the ban stems from the club’s failure to pay Championship side Leicester City add-ons related to the transfer of Nigerian forward Ahmed Musa. Musa joined Leicester immediately after their historic title win in 2016 but struggled to make an impact in England, scoring only five goals in 33 appearances. He was subsequently loaned back to his former club CSKA Moscow before being sold to Al-Nassr for a reported fee of £14 million in 2018.

Ahmed Musa at a match for Super Eagles. Source: Getty During his time at Al-Nassr Musa played 60 games and won the league title but was released as a free agent two years later. FIFA’s ruling states that Al-Nassr failed to pay €460,000 (£390,000) plus interest in performance-related add-ons owed to Leicester City. The initial ruling was issued in October 2021, with Al-Nassr being warned that a transfer registration ban would be imposed if they failed to settle the outstanding amount. It appears the club has not complied with the ruling, resulting in the registration ban being enforced. This ban applies to both domestic and international transfers, meaning Al-Nassr cannot register players from abroad at the moment. FIFA’s original ruling stated the ban would cover three consecutive transfer windows. Al-Nassr have also been warned that the matter would be referred to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee if Leicester City remained unpaid by the end of the ban. Al-Nassr has since indicated that the issue arose before the club’s acquisition by the Public Investment Fund (PIF). They have reassured that such issues will not occur again under the new club structure, and the payment owed to Leicester for Musa’s transfer will be promptly settled to lift the ban.

Ancelotti slams UEFA and FIFA over tight football calendar

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has accused football authorities, UEFA and FIFA, of not caring about players’ health with the tight football calendar they put out. With his team fighting in both the Champions League and La Liga and averaging a game every three days, Ancelotti accused UEFA and FIFA of only thinking about themselves. He also stated that something has to change. Speaking at a press conference, the Real Madrid manager said; “Objectively, the calendar doesn’t make sense. It’s too tight, with too many games. We have to look at the health of the players. They’re the most important part of football, but everyone thinks about themselves: the league think about themselves, the federation think about themselves, FIFA think about themselves, UEFA think about themselves. It isn’t good for football. It isn’t right. Something has to change. Too many games.”

Ancelotti calendar FIFA FOOTBALL slams tight UEFA

FIFA rules prevented Aubameyang from leaving Chelsea this January

Chelsea’s forward, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang reportedly attracted interest from Atletico Madrid and AC Milan in January but couldn’t leave due to FIFA rules. The former Arsenal and Barcelona player arrived Stamford Bridge in 2022 but has struggled to get a feature during matches. He was recently removed from Chelsea’s Champions League squad. In a recent report released by Standard Sport, it was gathered that Atletico and AC Milan were keen on signing him. However, the player who featured for Barcelona and Chelsea in the 2022-23 campaign couldn’t leave because of FIFA rules which prevent a player from representing more than two teams in the same season. A return to Camp Nou could have been put in place, with Aubameyang previously hitting 13 goals through 24 appearances for Barca, but the Liga outfit were unable to discuss a deal due to Financial Fair Play concerns.

Aubameyang Chelsea FIFA January Leaving prevented rules

Full list of nominees for 2022 FIFA Best Awards

The nominees for 2022 FIFA Best Men’s Player Award have been unveiled and while World Cup finalists Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe featured on the shortlist, there was no room for Cristiano Ronaldo. Argentina featured heavily in the shortlist for FIFA’s Best awards following their World Cup triumph, with forwards Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and coach Lionel Scaloni receiving nominations in their categories. Barcelona and Arsenal dominated the women’s award with three players each including Alexia Putellas, Keira Walsh and Aitana Bonmati for the Spanish champions while the English side are represented by Leah Williamson, Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead. Chelsea duo Sam Kerr and Jessie Fleming and Olympique Lyonnais’ Ada Hegerberg and Wendie Renard also make the cut. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola are nominated for the men’s award, along with Argentina’s Scaloni, France boss Didier Deschamps and Morocco manager Walid Regragui. Liverpool’s Alisson Becker, Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois and Aston Villa’s Martinez are among the nominees for The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award. FIFA said it will announce the three finalists in each category in early February. FIFA also announced an 11-player shortlist for this year’s Puskas Award for the ‘most beautiful’ goal of the year, with Mbappe’s spectacular volley against Argentina in the World Cup final among the nominees. See the full list in each of the category below… The Best FIFA Men’s Player Julian Alvarez (Argentina / River Plate / Manchester City FC) Jude Bellingham (England / BV Borussia 09 Dortmund) Karim Benzema (France / Real Madrid CF) Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium / Manchester City FC) Erling Haaland (Norway / BV Borussia 09 Dortmund / Manchester City FC) Achraf Hakimi (Morocco / Paris Saint-Germain) Robert Lewandowski (Poland / FC Bayern MÃ¼nchen / FC Barcelona) Sadio Mane (Senegal / Liverpool FC / FC Bayern MÃ¼nchen) Kylian Mbappe (France / Paris Saint-Germain) Lionel Messi (Argentina / Paris Saint-Germain) Luka Modric (Croatia / Real Madrid CF) Neymar (Brazil / Paris Saint-Germain) Mohamed Salah (Egypt / Liverpool FC) Vinicius Junior (Brazil / Real Madrid CF) The Best FIFA Women’s Player Aitana Bonmata (Spain / FC Barcelona) Debinha (Brazil / North Carolina Courage) Jessie Fleming (Canada / Chelsea FC Women) Ada Hegerberg (Norway / Olympique Lyonnais) Sam Kerr (Australia / Chelsea FC Women) Beth Mead (England / Arsenal WFC) Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands / Arsenal WFC) Alex Morgan (USA / Orlando Pride / San Diego Wave) Lena Oberdorf (Germany / VfL Wolfsburg) Alexandra Popp (Germany / VfL Wolfsburg) Alexia Putellas (Spain / FC Barcelona) Wendie Renard (France / Olympique Lyonnais) Keira Walsh (England / Manchester City WFC / FC Barcelona) Leah Williamson (England / Arsenal WFC) BEST WOMEN’S COACH Sonia Bompastor (France/Olympique Lyonnais) Emma Hayes (England/Chelsea FC Women) Bev Priestman (England/Canadian national team) Pia Sundhage (Sweden/Brazilian national team) Martina Voss-Tecklenburg (Germany/German national team) Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands/English national team) BEST MEN’S COACH Carlo Ancelotti (Italy/Real Madrid) Didier Deschamps (France/French national team) Pep Guardiola (Spain/Manchester City) Walid Regragui (Morocco/ Wydad AC/ Moroccan national team) Lionel Scaloni (Argentina/ Argentinian national team)

BEST WOMEN’S GOALKEEPER Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany/Chelsea) Mary Earps (England/Manchester United) Christiane Endler (Chile/Olympique Lyonnais) Merle Frohms (Germany/Eintracht Frankfurt/VfL Wolfsburg) Alyssa Naeher (USA/Chicago Red Stars) Sandra Panos Garcia-Villamil (Spain/Barcelona) BEST MEN’S GOALKEEPER Alisson Becker (Brazil/Liverpool) Yassine Bounou (Morocco/ Sevilla) Thibaut Courtois (Belgium/Real Madrid) Ederson (Brazil/Manchester City) Emiliano Martinez (Argentina/Aston Villa)

FIFA PUSKAS AWARD NOMINEES Mario Balotelli Amandine Henry Theo Hernandez Alou Kuol Kylian Mbappe Francisco Gonzalez Metilli Marcin Oleksy Salma Paralluelo Richarlison Alessia Russo Dimitri Payet

Awards FIFA full list NOMINEES'

Davido’s energetic performance at 2022 FIFA World Cup (Video)

Davido's energetic performance at FIFA World Cup (Video)

Superstar Afrobeat singer, Davido Adeleke, gives a thunderous performance at the closing event of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The singer makes his first performance today, the 18th of December 2022 after weeks away from the public’s reach; the same day he returned to social media to roll out photos with his wife, Chioma.
Davido, who was one of three artists behind the FIFA World Cup soundtrack, performed moments before the kick-off of the final match between Argentina and France.
Along with Trinidad Cardona and Aisha, O.B.O performed the official World Cup soundtrack “Hayya Hayya” in the stadium in Doha.
Watch the video below …

Cup Davidos energetic FIFA performance Video world

Breakdown Of $440M FIFA World Cup Prize Money

The 2022 FIFA World Cup Prize Money seats at the tune of $440M and here is a breakdown of how it is split between countries that partook in the game.

This year’s tournament featured 32 teams from various nations across the globe; 13 countries from Europe, five African teams, four North American nations, four from South America and six countries from Asia.
The teams that exited the World Cup at the group stage all earned $9 million each; they include Qatar, Ecuador, Wales, Iran, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Denmark, Tunisia, Canada, Belgium, Germany, Costa Rica, Serbia, Cameroon, Ghana, Uruguay.
Others that made it through to the round of 16 – USA, Senegal, Australia, Poland, Spain, Japan, Switzerland, and South Korea – all earned $13 million each. While those that reached the quarter-finals -Brazil, Netherlands, Portugal, England – earned $17 million each.
Fourth place Morocco earned $25 million.
Third-placed Croatia earned $27 million.
The runner-up between Argentina and France will earn $30 million, while the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner will earn $42 million.
The tournament will officially come to an end on Sunday 18th of December 2022, as France will face Argentina for a chance to lift the trophy and win the grand prize.

440M Breakdown Cup FIFA money prize world

Hakimi apologizes to FIFA president after angry outburst following Morocco’s defeat to Croatia

Hakimi apologizes to FIFA president after an angry outburst following Morocco's defeat to Croatia

Morocco star Achraf Hakimi has apologized to FIFA president Gianni Infantino after shouting at him following his country’s defeat to Croatia in the third-place World Cup match played yesterday, December 17.

It was reported earlier that during the match, the North African team appealed unsuccessfully for a penalty for an alleged handball from Bruno Petkovic and another when Hakimi was tackled by the Croatian striker.
After the match was concluded, Hakimi confronted the FIFA President and expressed how disappointed he was with the officiating throughout the tournament.

Speaking to the press after his outburst made headlines, the PSG star said;
“Nothing happened. I was angry after the end of the match. I went to talk to him, and I apologized for the words I said to him. He is my friend and I respect him a lot, so nothing happened”.

Angry apologizes CROATIA defeat FIFA Hakimi Moroccos outburst President

Hakimi shouts at FIFA President Gianni Infantino after Morocco’s loss to Croatia

Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi reportedly took out his frustration on FIFA President Gianni Infantino after his country’s loss to Croatia in the third-place match of the 2022 World Cup played on Saturday, December 17.

While Croatia emerged victorious following a 2-1 win over Morocco. During the match, the North African team appealed unsuccessfully for a penalty for an alleged handball from Bruno Petkovic and another when Hakimi was tackled by the Croatian striker.
After the match was concluded, Hakimi approached the FIFA president in the tunnel to voice his frustration. Those present are also claiming that the international football governing body is working to block the footage from becoming public.

SVT Sports reporter Johan Kucukaslan said;
“They wanted us to delete the images. It is clear that these are embarrassing scenes for them, and it is a bit naive of them to think that a dozen journalists should not report on this when we witness it happening.”
TV presenter Tom Egbers also said;
“He stood in front of Infantino, less than five centimetres. With a raised voice, he ranted to Infantino about the referee. It was painful.”

CROATIA FIFA Gianni Hakimi Infantino loss Moroccos President shouts

FIFA blocked English referee from officiating the 2022 World Cup final

FIFA reportedly denied English referee, Anthony Taylor, the chance to officiate the World Cup final on Sunday, December 19, over fears of Argentina questioning his impartiality.

While it’s been announced that Poland’s Szymon Marciniak will oversee the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France at the Lusail Stadium, it’s been gathered that Taylor was never in contention to land the match over concerns of an English official officiating an Argentina game.
Before Argentina qualified for the final, Taylor was kept on in Qatar by FIFA when the likes of Michael Oliver returned home.
The Times reported that though there are no suggestions that Taylor might be influenced by his nationality, neutrality is however a top priority for FIFA.

English referees have been barred from taking charge of matches featuring Argentina due to fears of bias around the Falkland Islands.
The Falklands War may have taken place way back in 1982, but it remains a hot topic in Argentina. The Falklands have been a British crown colony since 1841, but the sovereignty of the territory in the South Atlantic remains disputed by Argentina, who sparked a war with Britain by invading.
Argentina made headlines after their 3-0 win over Croatia in the semi-final by singing a popular song, called Muchachos, which references the Falklands War. The song includes a line about the “f***ing English” and a reference to the Malvinas, the Argentine name of the Falkland Islands.
The song has been commonplace among Argentina’s fans in Qatar and was reportedly the most-played song on Spotify in the South American country this week.

Had Taylor landed the World Cup final, he would have been the first English referee to do so since 2010, when Howard Webb officiated Spain vs. Netherlands.

But he lost out to Marciniak who will be joined by fellow Polish officials Pawel Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz as assistant referees.

The 41-year-old is the first Poland native to be handed the job of refereeing the World Cup final.

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FIFA makes U-turn on 48-team plan for World Cup in 2026

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said that the international football governing body may not be moving on with the 48-team plan for World Cup in 2026.

Before the new announcement, there was a plan to increase the number of teams competing in the tournament by changing the group format from eight groups of four to 16 groups of three.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the World Cup final this Sunday, December 19, Infantino implied that the 48-team plan could still be tweaked further, potentially back to the tournament’s original format but with added groups to accommodate for the new number of sides.

He said;
“We are really convinced of the growth, we have been approving a 48-team format with 16 groups of three, where the top two would move into a knockout phase.
“After this World Cup and the success of the groups of four and looking as well at some other competitions as well, like the Euros, they have been absolutely incredible in the sense that going to the last minute of the last match [to decide] who will go ahead [to the knockout stage].
“So, we have to revisit and discuss if that goes ahead, that is something that will be on the agenda in the next meetings. It is something we need to discuss, whether 16 groups of three or 12 groups of four are better.”

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